In the Dark
by Lalita
Summary: Abandoned. Ikhny is tormented endlessly by Hiead, until... he he... Read it to find out! Please read and drop off a thought or two.
1. Torment

In the Dark

by Lalita

Disclaimer~ Megami Kouhosei is not mine, never has been mine, and never will be. 

Summary~ In their pilot days, Ikhny is tormented endlessly by Hiead, until...  *evil laugh*  Read to find out! 

Author Notes~ This fic was taken down for MAJOR revisions and such.  To be truthful, I lost interest in it after awhile, and I think the later chapters reflected that.  So I've done my best with it now, and I hope everyone likes it more now!  It's still a twisted Hiead/Ikhny fic, that much hasn't changed.  The chapters are, for the most part, still pretty short, but I added a lot more detail.  They are also no longer done in the characters' points of view. 

I would also like to take the time out to say that if you don't like sick, twisted, non-redeemable Hiead, don't read this.  This is not like other Hiead/Ikhny fics, okay?  I better not get any reviews telling me this story is impossible, because in this fic, Hiead and Ikhny are NOT a happy, lovey dovey couple. 

Please give me an honest opinion and tell me whether or not you think the revisions I made were substantial!

Chapter One~ Torment

            The after-effects of the battle still lingered in space.  Torn, bloodied remnants of VICTIM were scattered randomly around, along with quite a few chunks of machinery.  GIS lay among the center of the battlefield, apparently none the worse, despite the obvious signs of disaster surrounding it. 

            In GIS, the pilots had returned, much to the relief of their repairers, although not unscathed.  They stepped out of their battered Goddesses, bruised and bloody, but victorious.  It had been a very dangerous fight indeed.

            One repairer stood before the tall red and black Goddess, known as Himato- Kallisto, anxiously wringing her hands.  When the silver-haired, demon eyed pilot emerged from the Ingrid, she spoke hurriedly, as if she was afraid he might not hear her out, not once raising her head.  " Sir, I n-noticed something wrong with the Kallisto when you were engaged in the b-battlefield." 

            Her stutter, although still apparent in her speech, had vastly improved since their candidate days, for which Hiead was grateful.  It made him somewhat more tolerant of her high, whiny voice, which was annoying enough as it was.  He closed his eyes, as if to block out all thoughts of his repairer.

            Still, Allecto persisted.  " Sir," she pressed on, ignoring the way a muscle in his jaw had begun to twitch, " please listen to me.  I-"

            She broke off when Hiead opened his eyes and slowly faced her, his eyebrows lowered ominously.  She wanted his attention?  Fine.  But she would pay for wasting his time.  " I mean...  She w-wasn't really responding accurately, was she?" Allecto whispered, the end coming out as a question rather than a statement.

            " Allecto," Hiead growled low his throat.  He was so sick and tired of listening to her babble on about things that were a repairer's duty, not his.  In fact, he was so irked that he seriously considered strangling her.  It certainly was a tempting notion at the moment. 

            " Y-Yes?" Allecto bit her lower lip, and, as if sensing his aggravation, took a step back away from him.  She knew that Hiead was not above hurting other people, physically as well as emotionally, and something was telling her that he wouldn't hesitate to do so now.

            She was not to be disappointed.  " Are you a repairer or aren't you?" Hiead asked her, his tone deadly soft.  When she did not respond, he shoved her.  She stumbled, but did not fall. " Answer me!"

            Allecto tightly gripped the computer console behind her, the one that had broken her fall.  Her tongue darted out to moisten her suddenly dry lips, and she struggled to stop the trembling that had started to form in her hands.  " Yes, sir," she replied, inwardly cringing for the outburst that was sure to follow.

            Hiead held his smirk of satisfaction inward as he noticed Allecto's fear.  Her chest was beginning to rise and fall rapidly; he could almost smell the stench cowardice emitting from her small, weak body.  Hiead roughly grabbed her shoulders and dug his fingernails into her upper arms.  " Then why are you bothering me with a repairer's duty?" he snapped, his eyes flashing.

            Finally, she met his angry gaze with her own frightened one.  Tears had already started to form behind her thick glasses, but she refused to let them fall.  Instead, she averted her eyes from him and focused on a part of the hangar wall.  " I'm sorry," she said despondently. 

           Hiead frowned and hoisted her off of her feet to meet his height, so that her feet dangled a few feet above the ground.  As he watched, a tear leaked its way from her right eye and slid down her cheek.  " Such a weakling," he thought dispassionately, and vowed, not for the first time in his life, to ever become so pathetic.

            " P-Please, sir, let me go!" Allecto pleaded, struggling against him, but it was no use.  His iron strength held her in place just as effectively a straight jacked would have.

            Hiead, thoroughly disgusted with the mousy girl he was forced to have as his repairer, suddenly shoved her away from him.  Allecto let out a cry of surprise before hitting the wall and sliding unceremoniously to the floor.  Hiead walked over to her, ire and revulsion still clear on his otherwise breathtaking features. 

            " I won't do it again, sir," Allecto buried her face in her hands so as to hide the tears now falling with wanton abandon.

            " Isn't that what you said the last time, Allecto?  And the time before that?" Hiead raised an eyebrow as she failed to answer him.  When he thought about it, the girl did lack the proper manners and respect due to him.  His lips quirked upwards into a cruel smile.  She needed to be taught a lesson, he finally decided.  And who better than he to teach her?

            The tears continued to course silently down Allecto's face, but she raised her head to look at him imploringly.  It only served to raise his temper further.  Still, he bit his tongue and deflected his words inward.  " Can't she do anything besides cry?" he thought, utterly repulsed by the crybaby in front of him.  Of course, he already knew the answer to that.  She was a worthless, defective tool who was incompetent and weak, to boot.

            Hiead savagely kicked her.  Allecto, who had not been expecting any blow of the sort from him, cried out in pain and curled into a defensive position on the floor.  Hiead smirked.  That was where she, along with all the other fools, belonged.  At his feet.

            Still in the mood for a bit more violence that destroying VICTIM alone could not cure, Hiead bent down low and roughly tugged Allecto up to her feet.  Then, he pressed her up against the wall, and said in a voice laced with menace and dislike, " You're pathetic."

            Allecto, cringing,  let out a strangled wail, and with a jolt, Hiead realized that he was digging so hard into her shoulder blades that there were likely to be several bruises.  The thought only filled him with a sick, demented sort of pleasure, as it always did.  He pressed even harder.

            Allecto whimpered.  " P-Please, sir," she begged, tears once again spilling out over cheeks.  Her nose began to run, mixing in with the rivulets of her bittersweet tears.

            Hiead was unable to resist the temptation any longer.  Of their own accord, his hands had already begun to slide up and curl around her neck.  Smiling evilly at the way Allecto's eyes widened in panic, he said silkily, " Something wrong, Allecto?  Are you... scared?"

            Another strangled, terrified sound emerged from her throat.  Hiead tightened his grip on her neck, cutting her off.  " What?  Not having fun?"  He actually laughed, albeit low and darkly, then added, " Well, I am."

            Allecto began going limp, sagging into his arms.  Her face turned to a startling shade of blue, and her eyes, partially hidden behind her large spectacles, started to roll backwards into her head, a sure sign that she was loosing oxygen- and fast.  Her dull, stringy brown hair fell into her face as her head lolled. 

            Hiead was filled with a sudden surge of hatred so strong it startled even him.  But footsteps, hurried, pounding footsteps interrupted him.  He released Ikhny's neck, giving it one last, final squeeze before letting go.  Besides, it would not do him well to be caught assaulting his repairer in broad sight in a corridor.  If the scrawny, rat-eared girl- and he was certain that it was her and that moron, Enna, running along the hallway- caught him at just that instant, it would be jeopardizing his position as a pilot, and that was something he could not afford.  

            Hiead quickly looked around the hallway, calculating.  If Enna and the girl found Allecto sobbing in a crumpled heap on the floor, they would suspect him.  If they found him in the same side of the ship as she was in, they would most likely know it was him.  His eyes rested on a closet, carefully disguised to blend in with the rest of the hall's wall.  It was the perfect hiding place.

            None too gently, Hiead shoved Allecto into the tiny, dark closet.  Her senses had started to come back to her and she glanced wildly around, taking in her surroundings.  Hiead knew for a fact that she hated the dark.  In fact, it scared her even more than he did.

            " Don't worry, Allecto.  The fun hasn't even started yet," Hiead promised her as he shut the door on her, leaving her all alone, enclosed in the shadows.  The last sight he saw of her was her mouth, open wide in a silent scream.   He took special care to lock the door.  After all, he didn't want her escaping and getting him in trouble, now did he? 

            Apparently, she was too afraid to cry out for help, or even to stand up, brush herself off, and open the door, for which Hiead was grateful.  Of course, if she tried to get out, she would find her efforts futile.  The chances of her escaping before dinner were slim to none.  Hiead's lips curled into a nasty smile.  That was, _if _he let her out.

            Hiead did not worry about Enna and his repairer.  Allecto would not tell. She would cover for him, as always.  It was, perhaps, the most sensible thing she had ever done in her life. 

            Casually, Hiead sauntered down the hallway, his hands in his pockets, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.  Which was true.  This was almost becoming a daily routine for Allecto and him.  Alright, so he had been slightly harsher than usual, but it didn't matter to him.  After all, the more pain he inflicted, the more he enjoyed it.

            At an outraged cry and a string of curses coming from behind him, Hiead grinned wickedly.  No doubt Tolleyk would be after him soon, for hurting her little friend, no matter what Allecto told her.  " What a shame," Hiead thought, vastly amused.  " I thought friends had more trust in each other than that."

            Hiead grunted, which was his attempt at a chuckle of mirth.  He had never had any friends in his life and he never would.  He had pushed away everyone he knew, so he knew nothing of the pitiful relationships called friendships, nor did he care for them.  However, he did know one thing. Bonds were easily created and just as, if not more, easily destroyed.  They were a waste of time and effort.

            Hiead rounded the corner and entered his room.  He punched in the password at the small, square control panel on the wall, efficiently locking the door.  Tolleyk was free to pound on the door and scream at me until she was blue in the face, whilst he would rest, so as to keep up his strength.  Later on, there were sure to be confrontations with Enna, and he wanted to be at his best. 

            Hiead lowered himself onto the bed devoid of covers and pillows, for he had long ago trained himself to sleep without comfort, but sleep alluded him.  He was far too eager for the next " lesson " he would teach Allecto and the possibility of a fight with Enna, further easing his frustration.  Idly, Hiead realized that he shouldn't be focusing so much the weaklings surrounding him.  He was far too self-disciplined for that, and, further more, he had much more important matters on his hands.

           Ignoring the loud, swift kicks and punches to his door, as well as the various insults and swearing that went with them, Hiead fell into a sleep fraught with the recurring nightmares of his forgotten past.  For once, the questions they arose were welcome.  It finally allowed him to concentrate on something other than all the inferiors around him. 

            _I will win...  I will beat them all..._


	2. Frozen

In the Dark

By Lalita

Disclaimer~ Megami Kouhosei isn't mine- obviously.

Summary~  Ikhny is tormented endlessly by Hiead, until… *evil laugh*  Read to find out!

Author Notes~ Well, here's the re-edited chapter two.  I hope you like it!  Please read and review!

Chapter Two~ Frozen

            The frozen air was fraught with the scent of fear.  In the dark, small closet, a girl in a simple uniform lay huddled on the floor, shaking as she fought the hysteria rising within her. 

            This girl was Ikhny Allecto.  If anyone had bothered to ask her what she was doing in a closet full of cleaning supplies, she would have said she was finding a box of tissues, or some other moronic excuse such as that.

            Why would she lie?  It was really quite simple, considering the person who had thrown her in the room happened to be Hiead Gner.  And anyone who messed with Hiead Gner did not usually mess with him again- either because they weren't able to anymore, or they were too scared.

            In Ikhny's case, she was both.  She could do nothing to stop her pilot, and, even if she could, she was too terrified of him to try.  She wrapped her thin, bony arms around her knees and clenched her hands in a desperate attempt to halt the shaking, but she couldn't.  Inhaling deeply, she struggled to clear her muddled mind, but the dark all around her twisted mops and buckets into terrifying creatures of a little girl's past.

            Heart pounding so furiously she was almost certain it was as loud as a drumbeat, Ikhny tried to stand, but her legs had turned to jelly and she sank back down onto the floor.  Besides, who was to guarantee that _he _wouldn't be out there, that _he _wouldn't be waiting for her?  Surely even a pitch-black, tiny, cramped closet full to the brim with junk was better than facing more of Hiead's wrath.

            And so, as her mind always did when she had dealt with bouts of Hiead's sudden temper, it reflected on her so called relationship with him.  She wondered why the fates had cursed her with Hiead.  Why on Zion the instructors had decided to pair them together.  She snorted derisively.  " Suited best for each other," she thought bitterly.  " What a laugh."

            Wiping her running nose on her sleeve, Ikhny searched around in the closet for her glasses, which had fallen off earlier.  Panicking slightly again, she hoped that they had not decided to get trampled on outside by the unobserving personal on GIS.  She shivered at the thought of going sightless.  Once, when Hiead had been in a particularly tormenting mood, he had taken her glasses from her and taunted her inability to see.  

            It would be just like Hiead, too, if he were to permanently damage her glasses and shove her around while she couldn't see.  Not that he had any problems doing that when she did have them on, but not being able to see her enemy had always been a great fear of Ikhny's- hence, her fright of the dark.  In the dark, evil things dwelt.  And compared to the horrors found in the shadows, even Hiead was preferable.

            Finally, Ikhny's hand closed around the small frames of her glasses.  She hastily put them on and blinked repeatedly, but it didn't help.  She still couldn't see.  Ikhny resigned herself to her fate and lay against the door, rubbing her arms for warmth.  She knew it was pointless to try and escape, for Hiead had locked the door.  

            Time slipped by. Seconds dragged on as minutes, minutes as hours, and hours as days. Later on, Ikhny could not recall exactly how much time she had spent locked in the enclosed area, but it seemed like forever.  Every few seconds, she would sneak a look across the room, searching for some lurking danger.  And every time she did so, she forced her mind away from the fear and struggled to concentrate on other things.  She had previously found out from other experiences that it was the only way to escape still mentally sane- or as sane as anyone forced to deal with Hiead every single day could be.

            Her life was falling into a routine, although it certainly wasn't boring.  Rather, it was painful and emotionally stressful.  On Hiead's orders, she awoke first of all the other repairers, early in the morning, and ran a check on his precious Goddess.  Then, if she was lucky, she could manage to get a light breakfast before she was supposed to check on the Goddess again.  After that, there was usually a confrontation with Hiead.  Lunch.  VICTIM.  A fight which involved Ikhny being forced to suffer even more cruelty.  Another check on the Goddess.  By that time, dinner was over, so she would try to avoid the other repairers, go to her room, wash up and tend to wounds, then fall into a troubled sleep.

            Ikhny sighed, half out of yearning, half out of sadness.  Hiead underestimated her.  In fact, by his continuing presentation of her worst fears, she was steadily growing stronger.  Still, Ikhny wished that she could have had another candidate, one nicer, gentler, more prone to encourage than to hurt.  Someone like Zero, or even Roose or Clay...  Not someone like Hiead, whose only delight came from causing destruction.  One who never knew love or would learn it.

            Ikhny shook her head.  It was pointless to dwell on matters that couldn't and wouldn't be changed.  It was a waste of time to wonder why she was stuck with a cold, emotionless bastard.  It wasn't like she hadn't wondered that a hundred times before.  Wondered why, in some instinctive, odd way, she had grown to care for him.  From the moment she laid eyes on him, she knew he had a story, something to make him the way he was...  Perhaps it was just her motherly instincts kicking in, but she wanted to help him more than anything on Zion.  Unfortunately, it didn't look like she was making progress.  Hiead would never return her affections.  He loved causing her pain and making her feel awful, but that was about it.    
            Worried, concerned voices broke into her train of gloomy thoughts.  She recognized the voices as Kizna and Zero's and bit back a groan, cursing her rotten luck.  She really hoped they wouldn't find her, for they would have questions that she wasn't up to face at the moment.  Ikhny carefully rose to her feet, biting back a fresh wail of woe as her shoulder painfully hit the wall.  It hurt worse than Hiead's assaults normally did.  She was going to have on hell of a bruise.

            A wave of nausea passed over her and she closed her eyes, breathing in and out, slowly but surely.  Soon, the sickness passed and she could breathe normally.  Today had been far worse than other days.  Much, much worse...  And Ikhny couldn't help but wonder how much more things would plunge.  And how much longer she'd be able to take it.  It had already been two long, miserable years.  She was never sure if she'd live to see another day, let alone long enough until Hiead's seemingly endless EX supply ran out.  All she could do was pray for the day she'd be free of him, free of his haunting eyes and the confused, angry emotions he brought out in her.

            The footsteps have stopped.  Ikhny held her breath and exhaled when she heard nothing more.  They must have passed her...  But a second later, her idea was proved wrong as Kizna swore loudly.  Apparently, she had just discovered the door was locked.  After a few more pounds and muttered swear words, the door slid open and in came stumbling Zero and Kizna, both breathing hard, as if they had just finished running a marathon.  

            " The fates must really hate me," Ikhny thought dimly before plastering a weak smile on her face and lifting her head to meet Kizna's frightened gaze.  Perhaps if she could just fake it well enough, they'd leave her alone.  But lying had never been Ikhny's strong point, and Kizna saw right through her anyway.  

            " Ikhny!" Kizna exclaimed, letting out her breath in a whoosh.  She stood in the doorway, clutching her heart.  " Thank the Goddesses you're alright."

            Zero had just taken a good look at Ikhny.  He clenched his fists, obviously trying to restrain his anger, but without much success.  " We knew it," he growled, his face darkening in anger and loosing most of its general warmth.  " When we saw Hiead grinning like it was his birthday.  It was him, wasn't it."    
            It had come out as a statement, not a question.  Ikhny bowed her head in shame.  Oh, she would never stop feeling guilty about deceiving her friends, but it had to be done.  Else Hiead would do even worse...  " N-No," she stammered, holding her face in her hands.  " I-It wasn't H-Hiead."  The way she said his name, the way she acted, it all gave her away too clearly.

            " Like hell it wasn't, Ikhny!" Kizna exploded, rounding on Ikhny with a fierce glint in her violet eyes.  " You have got to report him!  Stop covering up for his ass!  What he's doing is wrong, and you know it, but you just make it all the more easier for him!"

            Ikhny looked away, but the simple motion was enough to send her pounding head into waves of dizziness.  Guilt gnawed at her. " It must really annoy Kizna, having such a weakling for a friend,"  Ikhny reflected miserably.  Of course, Kizna was right.  She always was.  Ikhny did need to stand up for herself, and she knew it just as much as she knew Zion was the last star.  She willed herself to force out the words, but instead she found herself defending Hiead- again.  " I l-locked myself in a-again, Kizna. It w-was an a-accident, I swear!"

            Her protest was a bit too vehement, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Kizna and Zero.  " You're such a terrible liar,"  Kizna mumbled underneath her breath, her cat ears twitching rapidly.  Finally, after several minutes, she calmed her heavy breathing and temper long enough to ask Ikhny, " Are you alright?"

            Ikhny nodded meekly, but the way Kizna's eyebrows lowered and Zero's scowl deepened showed they did not believe her for one second.  More likely than not, they would drag her to the doctor, which would result in more questions and more lies for her to invent.  " You'd think after lying so much, I'd be an expert at it," Ikhny thought wryly.

            Zero coughed absently, distracting Ikhny from her musings.  His deep blue eyes were filled with concern, as were Kizna's.  He ran a hand through his already mussed auburn hair, as if thinking very hard on his next words.  Ikhny let a true, small smile form on her face.  It was nice to know that some people cared for her, no matter how interfering or complicating that concern could get.    
            The pilot of the former Ernn- Laties spoke.  " Ikhny, you know, we could always find another replacement for you or Hiead, if you ever wanted it." 

            Ikhny shook her head in denial.  " You c-can't risk loosing H-Hiead sir.  He is a r-remarkable pilot, and v-very much irreplaceable."  Ikhny knew Zero had offered kicking Hiead out as an act of kindness, not as an act of reality.  

            Zero looked about to argue, as if he thought Hiead was perfectly easy to replace, but thought better of it.  Both Zero and Kizna heaved Ikhny onto her feet, balancing her by supporting her light weight on their shoulders.  The pounding in Ikhny's head grew so terribly she lifted a shaking hand to her forehead and moaned feebly.  Instantly, the world spun around her and she fell back, the world fading around her.  Someone- Ikhny couldn't be sure- caught her before she hit the floor.  Seconds later, the world was put back into focus and Ikhny concentrated on steadying herself, which, at the moment, was proving to be quite difficult.

            When Kizna was assured Ikhny was fully recovered from her brief fainting spell, she rose and stood in the doorway, preparing to leave.  Had she been a cat, her hair would have been standing on end and she would have been growling.  The latter wasn't far from the truth, for when she spoke, her voice came out as little more than a feline snarl.  " That damn bastard!  This is the last straw!  I'm going to bash his fucking head in, that's what!"

            " Kizna...  Please don't!"  Ikhny pleaded, but Kizna paid her no heed.  If she wasn't careful, Hiead would hurt her far worse than he had ever injured Ikhny.  

            Zero reached out and laid a restraining hand on Kizna's arm.  " Kizna," he warned, but she shook him off, her eyes shining in defiance and determination.  

            " Can it, both of you.  You can't stop me."  Kizna stalked off, but threw one last glance towards Zero and Ikhny.  " Oh, and Zero? Make sure Ikhny gets to the hospital ward, okay?" 

            " You h-have to go a-after her!" Ikhny shrieked, her face contorting into a mask of fear.  Zero studied her, caught in indecision.  " I'll b-be fine," Ikhny reassured him, and, as if to prove her statement, she stood upright, clinging to the wall for balance.  Without another word, Zero nodded and bounded off the corridor, following the direction Kizna had gone. 

            Ikhny watched him for a minute or so, then, confident that he was gone, slipped down to the floor again and curled into a fetal position.  She cried softly, weeping about all the injustices of life.

            _It just isn't fair..._

              
            


	3. What Life's About

In the Dark

By Lalita

Disclaimer~ *sighs* Megami Kouhosei is not mine, much to my bitter disappointment. 

Summary~ Ikhny is tormented endlessly by Hiead, until… *evil laugh* Read to find out!

Author Notes~ Well, here's chapter three!  I'm hoping to re-edit these chapters as quickly as possible, so I can get on with the rest of the story.  As always, please read and review!

Chapter Three~ What Life's About

            Kizna Tolleyk had a bone to pick, and it wasn't a small bone either.  She stormed away from Ikhny in a rage, almost blinded by fury and relief that her friend was alright.  The look on her face was murderous;  the people who passed by her in the corridor wisely edged away from her and closer to the wall.  Well, killing someone was what she happened to be feeling like doing just then.  And who could that someone be, other than Hiead Gner?

            Kizna gnashed her teeth at the thought of him.  " The arrogant bastard," she fumed.  " Pushing people around, just because he thinks he can get away with it!  Well, he's got another thing coming!" 

            To be honest, she had never thought it possible to hate someone.  Loath, yes.  Extremely dislike and detest, yes.  But never hate.  It had always been her firm belief that everyone had a good side to him or her.  Take Azuma, for example.  He was really gruff and occasionally mean to his candidates, but deep down, Kizna knew that many thought of him as something of a fatherly figure.  " Okay... Perhaps that was going a bit far," she admitted, snorting slightly. 

            Or Zero.  At times, he could be absolutely annoying and could make Kizna want to scream and pull her hair out in exasperation, but he had a sweet side to him.  Personally, Kizna thought of him as a brother.  The kind you hate but love at the same time.  

            But there were always exceptions, and Hiead Gner was one of them.  Kizna shook her head, clearing her mind.  This was not about Zero and good being in every person.  This was about Hiead and kicking Hiead's ass.  

            It took her a few minutes to realize she had walked past Hiead's room, where she was certain he would be hiding out, and she cursed as she doubled back. " Not so brave now, are you?" Kizna murmured to his door.  Here he was, cowering like the weakling he thought Ikhny was.  Oh, it was all well and good when he was picking on someone smaller than him- now he had Kizna Tolleyk to deal with, and that was not a force to be reckoned with lightly.

            Kizna was completely unaware that she had been standing in front of Hiead's door for a long period of time, her face steadily growing redder.  If she were any angrier, puffs of smoke would be emitting from her ears.  Her eyes narrowed flashed fire.  " I am going to do some serious damage to him, damn his oh-so-precious position to the team!" she swore.  Anyone and everyone knew the only reason he was still here was because he had his EX and admittedly exceptional skills to protect him.  That, and the fact he had Ikhny under his thumb.

            A growing sense of unease began to form in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to suppress it.  " I am not afraid of anything, least of all Hiead Gner!" Kizna viciously thought, angry at both Hiead and herself.  As if to prove her point, she began bashing the door and flinging insults, wielding her words as if they were a shield between herself and the demon behind the door.  There was no point in checking to see if the door was locked;  Kizna had gone through this enough to know that it always was.  

           " If only words could kill," Kizna thought dryly, a humorless smile forming on her face.  For what seemed like eternity, she went on, ranting and raving like a madwoman, screaming for the coward to come out and fight.  Normally, those words would be enough to goad him to come out, but the effect was lost today.  Kizna assumed he was ignoring her, and the thought only served to enrage her further.

            Okay, perhaps she was overreacting.  Loosing her temper.  Whatever you wanted to call it.  But the jerk- and that was putting it nicely- constantly abused her best friend, hated her and constantly picked fights, was always making snide comments about her, and, in Kizna's opinion, had serious mental problems.  In fact, she knew it.  Once, Ikhny had broken down and confessed Hiead had repeated abnormality states during battle.  The possibility alone was enough to evict a candidate or pilot off of the battlefield for good.  

            Of course, Hiead, being Hiead, got away with it, damn him.  Kizna didn't see the big deal about him.  After all, hadn't she and Zero been the ones to first advance to the Top Rank?  Hadn't they been the ones to take over for the Number One Goddess?  Why the officials ever made him a pilot... He was cold, ruthless, and downright dangerous- to himself and others.  Kizna knew she could probably go on for days describing all the various flaws of Hiead Gner, but it just wasn't worth the effort.

            " I swear, the next you hurt Ikhny, she won't be the only one in the infirmary, asshole!"  Kizna shouted and gave the door one last, final kick for good measure.  In the next instant, pain throbbed through her toe and she bit back a groan.  " Damn him," she panted, clutching her foot in agony.  " I didn't even get to fight him and I'm exhausted!"

            Not a minute later, Zero came bounding up beside her, breathing hard.  Kizna groaned aloud this time.  Just great.  Now she had to deal with a " Hiead is dangerous and I don't want you by him " lecture.  Don't get her wrong, Zero's concern was kind of sweet, and on any other day Kizna would have appreciated it.  Just not today.  After all, they had a pretty good, close partnership and got along well together- unlike a certain two other people she could name.  Like the one behind the door, probably gloating his head off, and the one bawling her eyes out. 

            " Kizna-" Zero started to say, but she cut him off.

            " Drop it," Kizna snapped.  She knew she sounded crabby, but she couldn't help it.  Who could?

            Zero took the hint and avoided the subject.  They walked down the hallway in silence, Kizna biting the inside of her cheek and wincing every time she stepped on her sore toe.  " So... Want to get some food?" Kizna asked, nonchalantly trying to make up for being so rude before.

            Zero shrugged.  " It doesn't matter to me," he said.  Kizna withheld her smirk.  The memory of getting food poisoning by a faulty meal was probably still fresh in his mind.

            " I promise I'll find something better for us to eat," she added.  Besides, not only was the food on GIS nauseating, just as it was on GOA, she had no intention of letting Zero get food poisoning again.  She couldn't very well let him die of starvation or something else before he defeated VICTIM, now could she? 

            " Alright," Zero agreed.  He winked.  They walked in silence again, until they passed Clay, who had been recently promoted to the Head Observer.  He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that it took him a good few moments to recognize them, and when he did, he waved absently over his shoulder.  Zero chuckled and waved at Clay's retreating back.

            Kizna's shoulders drooped dejectedly.  Between worrying over VICTIM and Ikhny, she felt like she was ten years older than she ought to be.  Any day now, wrinkles would appear on her face and spots of gray would fleck her otherwise sugary pink hair.  She sighed.  

            Zero's arm wrapped itself around her shoulder.  " Hey," he said, smiling mildly.  " I didn't think the idea of protecting me from the poisonous food here was so bad that you'd cry over it."

            Kizna laughed and lightly punched Zero on the shoulder.  " You're cute when you're sweet, you know that?"

            Zero winked.  " I try to be," he said.

            " If that was supposed to be an attempt at modesty, you failed miserably," Kizna retorted.  The two chuckled and Kizna almost forgot about all her worries.  For once, she pretended to be a carefree teenager joking around with her friend.  After all, that was what life was supposed to be about, right?

            _Right?_


	4. The Second Lesson

In the Dark

By Lalita

Disclaimer~ Megami Kouhosei isn't mine, blah blah blah.

Summary~ Ikhny is tormented endlessly by Hiead, until… *evil laugh* Read to find out!

Author Notes~ Well, here's the re-edited fourth chapter! ^____^ Sorry it took so long, but I've been away from the computer for a couple of days… You know, been busy and all. I'm hoping the rest of the chapters will be out shortly, so I can get down to business and finish writing the rest of the fic! Oh, and, as always, PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!! I don't know how to make that any clearer to you! Just… READ AND REVIEW!!! PLEASE!!!

Chapter Four~ The Second Lesson

            Just as things were starting to return to normalcy- or, rather, as normal as the life of the hassled crew on GIS could get- an alarm shrieked throughout the halls, signifying yet another attack.  Hiead, ever alert, was instantly awake.  In the next seconds, he had managed to jump out of his bed and into the corridor that was teeming with several staff members and the other pilots.  

            They reached the Goddess Hangar in a matter of mere moments, taking the emergency life down.  Hiead cursed softly as he saw Allecto was not yet there.  The anger that had found surcease before sprang to life, and the contempt he felt for his foolish repairer increased.  It was impossible she had not been freed from the closet.  A significant amount of time had passed, and Hiead could also tell by the looks Enna had been sending him, which were considerably darker than usual.  The only other logical reasoning would be that she was hiding from him... 

            Hiead's blood boiled and threatened to roll over the surface.  He felt the need to punch something, anything, and quickly too.  The bumbling idiot should have let nothing, absolutely _nothing_stand in the way of her duties.  But then again, that was Allecto.  She never had her priorities straight.

            His frown slightly decreased as he watched her stumble into the hangar, eyes bleary and steps unsteady.  The other repairers threw her sympathetic glances but did not abandon their posts.  They, unlike Allecto, knew how to do their job.  She brushed aside their concern and continued towards Hiead, knowing that he will only become angrier if she delays further.

            " S-Sir," she whispered, bowing slightly.  

           Hiead felt his patience snap.  " Damnit, Allecto, this is no time for that! Hurry up!" he growled.  Instantly, she obeyed.  She ran to her post and tripped over her own feet in the process.  " Clumsy fool," Hiead thought, narrowing his eyes.  Deciding to let her moronic behavior go for right then, he stood in front of the Himato- Kallisto, waiting impatiently until she was ready to board.  The red and black Goddess loomed tall before him, looking foreboding as the shadows masked its face.  

            Finally, _finally _she was ready to board.  Hiead stepped inside, eager to feel the sense of control being with his Goddess brought him.  The shadows enclosed around him until a dim, almost unnoticeable light illuminated his harsh features.  There was the slight sensation of falling as he was jettisoned into space, and then the pleasant tingling of weightlessness.  Allecto's face appeared in a side-screen, and then Enna's command reached his ears.  _Group together and circle the VICTIM leader... _

           Hiead sneered.  He needed no one's orders to know how to defeat a VICTIM.  Despite Enna's almost frantic call of, " What the hell do you think you're doing, Hiead?" and Allecto's repeated pleas, he launched himself full speed at the leader.  It was large, menacing and had Hiead not been frightened of nothing, he would have cringed.  Pulling out the gigantic sword of the Himato- Kallisto, he gave a cry of victory and plunged, aiming straight between the VICTIM's bloodshot eyes.  He would have succeeded, too, if not for the fact that Allecto decided to cut off his visual.  

            His sight went blank.  There was nothing but black around him.  Had he bothered to wave his hand in front of his face, it would have been useless.  He could see nothing, but, judging from the sounds around him, the others were finishing off the battle- alone.  He hoped they would meet painful deaths, so that everyone would realize the so-called team was nothing without him.  Once or twice, he attempted to join back in the fight, taking blind, violent swings with his sword, and each and every time he would be knocked out a good way from the VICTIM.  

            After the battle, the Goddesses drifted back to GIS, Hiead being shamefully towed by Enna.  It was almost too much humiliation for him to bear.  When he unboarded his Goddess, he was barely able to hold his frustration in check.  Allecto stepped timidly towards him, apologizing profusely.    
            But for once, it wasn't really her that his anger was directed at.  Of course, she would pay later for her mistake, she always did, but what Hiead wanted more than anything was to torture Enna and his interfering bitch of a repairer.  Allecto would not have stopped him if Enna hadn't ordered Tolleyk to butt in.  More than likely, his repairer had been hoping for him to get sliced into a million pieces by the VICTIM leader.  

            Unfortunately for the both of them, nothing of the sort had happened, and now Hiead was stuck with the dismal humiliation of being rebuked by Enna as if he were a three year old child.  The embarrassment was nothing compared to what he planned to do to Enna later, and it was only the sweet thoughts of revenge that held him in his place and not strangling the annoying idiot.

            Hiead watched as Allecto slipped away while the other repairers were hard at work.  As he had not been able to participate in the battle, his Goddess had sustained little, if any, damage.  Allecto was probably grateful for the chance to rest, but Hiead would soon make sure she wasn't.  He glowered at her retreating back, the words Enna kept saying falling upon deaf ears as he contemplated ways to enact his vengeance.

           When he was finally allowed to leave, with one last, final glare from Enna, he sauntered casually through the hallways, quickly assessing where his repairer could be.  He ducked briefly into the serving room, but she wasn't eating.  He waited for several minutes outside the public restrooms but she did not emerge from there, either.  After checking her room twice, when he was considering giving up his search to be continued later on, he saw her back, stooped in an obvious pose of rejection. 

            Hiead's lips curled into a would be smile, but it came out looking more like a grimace.  He stalked her so quietly she didn't even realize he was there- that was, until his hands clamped firmly over her mouth, stifling any sound of surprise or cry for help.  Oh yes, it was much too late for help.  No one could help her now, and no one would want to, after he was done with her...

            Perhaps she was too exhausted to care or too used to his attacks to protest as he dragged her into another empty corridor.  When she looked up, Hiead met eyes almost as haunted as his were.  Almost.  His grip on her right arm tightened as he snarled, " You fucking bitch."

            She flinched, as if his words hurt her.  Hiead grunted in satisfaction.  Good.  But then something happened that had never occurred before: she tried to get away from him.  Allecto twisted and writhed, fighting as hard as she could to break free of his grasp.  Hiead was so shocked he released her and she fell hard to the floor, panting heavily.  Just as she was scrambling to her feet, he stepped on her hand with all his weight.  " Bad move, Allecto," he whispered, his voice deadly soft.

            She froze, like she had just been turned into a statue.  Hiead ground his foot into her hand, watching the way her skin turned red and irritated, watched as it wrinkled into several folds on either side of his foot.  But still, she did not react, and Hiead reached down and clenched her hair in a painful grasp.  Allecto closed her eyes and remained motionless.  Tired of the game she was playing, Hiead proceeded to drag her down the corridor, her back sliding on the floor and legs flailing helplessly.  " You shouldn't have been so disobedient today, Allecto.  It appears I have to give you another lesson."

            " P-Please, s-sir! P-Please! I-I-I'm..."   She broke off, unable to go on. 

            Her words were barely understandable through her tears.  Not fazed in the slightest, Hiead asked, sarcasm dripping off of every word, " You're what?"

            Allecto wailed again.  Her face was pinched in pain.  She clawed at his hand, trying to force him to release her, but her futile attempts were laughable.  Hiead drew her up to her feet, still keeping a hold on her hair.  She looked up at him, her expression mournful.  " I... I-I... I really t-tried to s-stop h-her, s-sir, I d-did!" she protested, and Hiead closed his mind off to the rest.  Allecto was merely babbling apologies and excuses, all of which he had heard before, and it wasn't what he was interested in hearing.  What he wanted to hear was screams of pain.

            " Poor Allecto," Hiead murmured, mocking her.  She stopped talking abruptly, ending in mid-sentence.  Hiead realized that if his smirk was any wider, it would most likely fall off of his face.

            He looked down, expecting to see Allecto's usually meek and pale face.  Instead, he found something that shocked him beyond belief: defiance.  Albeit, it was defiance laced with a sickly fear, but it was still there, shining in Allecto's usually mild brown eyes.  Her next words were so soft, Hiead could hardly hear them, let alone believe them.  " Y-You... J-J-Jerk!"

            But a mere moment later, the consequences of her words hit her full force.  She seemed more stunned than Hiead at what she had said.  A dread began to creep over her features, making her face fall and cringe as she watched Hiead's own face change into a contorted mask of rage.  He would not have disobedience in her.  She was nothing but a stupid fool, too idiotic to think before she spoke.  True, the words she had spoken were not new to his ears, but coming from her...

            She was going to pay.  Adrenaline pumping in his ears, he slapped Allecto so hard her head jerked back and a piercing scream rent the air, a scream loud enough to alert half of GIS.  Smacking a rough hand over Allecto's mouth to keep her from further outbursts, Hiead darted his eyes around the hall, his hearing more sensitive to the faintest noises.  He waited for a full five minutes in silence, his repairer's heart beating a dull rhythm against his chest.  

            When he was absolutely certain no one was going to come to Allecto's aid, Hiead allowed himself to revel in the surge of power he got, crushing Allecto to his chest and terrifying her beyond her wildest nightmares.  And, as perverse as it was, he thought of her as his slave, with no purpose but to serve him until he disposed of her.  A slave...  Yes, she was a slave, his slave, and he was his master.  He was a master who had to teach his slave a lesson.

            Allecto remained quiet, sensing the danger thick in the air.  She knew that by all means if she dare speak another word, Hiead might kill her then and there.  When he turned a cold smile in her direction, she shivered visibly.  " Yes, slave," Hiead thought, satisfaction rushing through him. " Fear your master."

            Then, quite unceremoniously, he slung Allecto over his shoulder, knowing he could run faster without her lack of speed dragging him down.  But the rush that had filled him when he began tormenting her abandoned him as he felt a rib jounce painfully into his shoulder.  She was light, way too late for a girl of her age, Hiead realized with displeasure.  What was the damn wench doing, starving herself?  The thought made his blood run cold.  He wouldn't have her dying.  He would be the one to kill her, only him.  As sick as it sounded, Hiead Gner wanted to be the sole reason of distress to Ikhny Allecto.

            She had long gone silent, barely moving except when he shifted her weight.  The only reason he could tell she was alive was by her breathing, ragged and shallow and harsh.  Her heart beat frantically against him, as if struggling to break free.  

            Hiead broke into a full speed run.  Maybe he was just paranoid, but hadn't that been a footstep behind them?  Or was it several?  The rush he got when eluding an enemy and capturing his prize filled him once again.  A sharp intake of breath followed by a lack of breathing from Allecto made him glace over his shoulder at her.  He supposed his shoulder must have hit her in the stomach, knocking the breath out of her.  Served her right.

            At last, they reached his destination- his room.  He observed as Allecto's face dawned with realization, then transformed into a mask of terror.  Elation, or, the closest feeling to happy he could ever get, swooped through him as he punched in the code to his room.    
            _This will be the best lesson yet... _


	5. A Lesson Learned Well

In the Dark

By Lalita

Disclaimer~ *yawns*  Megami Kouhosei is not mine, it never has been, and unless if I magically transform into the various people and companies who have any actual claim on it, I never will own it.

Summary~ Ikhny is tormented endlessly by Hiead, until…  *evil laugh*  Read to find out!

Author Notes~ Well, chapter five is certainly longer than usual…  ^^  I have also made MINOR revisions to the previous four chapters, but it's nothing worth noticing or re-reading.  As for my reviewers, thank you, and I hope you review again!  ^^  I've also decided that this is the chapter the R rating will be put into effect.  So, like I've said before a million times, let's get on with the fic and READ AND REVIEW!!!

Chapter Five~ A Lesson Learned Well

A few hours later, when Hiead had finally finished with his fun, a terrified, battered and bruised Ikhny was deposited onto her bedroom floor, where she remained until Kizna found her.  Paralyzed by fright, she didn't dare move, couldn't move, couldn't do anything but lay there on the floor, helpless and cowering.  She was afraid...  Afraid that _he _would come back, that _he _would...  would...  The thought was too horrible to contemplate.

            Scattered, barely formed thoughts flitted around her brain.  _How...  How could he do that?  Why did he...?  Why did it have to happen to me?  _Ikhny's pulse raced and she felt suddenly nauseous.  She tried to stop thinking, tried to block out everything but the sound of her ragged breathing, but it was useless.  

            " Why me?"  she thought miserably.  The tears that hadn't come for hours exploded and sobs racked her thin body.  She couldn't understand why any human being would be so cruel and heartless, hadn't thought it possible before...  before Hiead...  Ikhny started shaking so violently her teeth chattered together.  What he had done was worse than hitting her, or locking her up in a closet, or yelling at her.  What he had done was so...  _evil _and _wrong.  _The injustice of it was unbearable.

            She struggled to get up, to regain her composure, to go and _tell _somebody, but whenever she moved even a finger a searing pain flashed through her head and her body ached and cried for respite, so she was forced to stay still and pray that someone would come.  But while she prayed to be rescued, she also wished to just die right there.  She didn't want to face anyone...  She was too ashamed at what they would see- a broken, crying girl huddled on the floor.

            She closed her eyes, for soon even the simple act of seeing became painful.  She closed them until the waves of dizziness passed, then focused them once more on the door.  But no one came.  No one came, no one knew, no one cared...

            Ikhny looked down at the tattered remains of her clothes, feeling sick and close to blissful unconsciousness.  Blood stained her body, her hands.  Around her, the red had grown into a puddle.  It trickled out of her mouth, clung to her hair, poured from a gash in the head...           

            The floor was cold beneath her, almost as cold as ice, numbing her to the pain.  A loud buzzing began in her ears and she fought it off.  _Got to stay awake...  Can't pass out...  Got to be found...  Cry for help... _

But the hazy cloud in her mind had descended over her eyes, over all her thoughts.  The last thing she saw before she slipped into darkness was his face, leering above her, reaching out for her and dragging her down with him.

~*Ikhny's Flashback*~

      Hiead roughly threw Ikhny into his room, taking care to lock the door behind him and step on her back as he passed by her.  A sick fear crept over her until she wanted to hurl.  What was he going to?  What was happening?

           Her questions were about to be answered.  Hiead stood above her, tall and commanding.  He was smirking, as usual.  He crossed his arms and a demented little smile formed on his face.  " Poor little Allecto."

            Ikhny had never felt more scared in her entire life.  Here she was, alone, in a room with Hiead.  The key word there: alone.  He came closer and closer, until he reached out a hand and began to softly stroke her hair.  Ikhny froze.  What was going on?  Where had that gesture come from?

            " Poor, poor little Ikhny," Hiead murmured, his twisted smile becoming wider.  And then, quite suddenly, Ikhny realized she would be the luckiest person in the universe if she escaped Hiead alive.

            " W-What?"  she managed to croak, although her throat was chokingly tight.  She frantically tried to clear her mind, to rationalize with Hiead, to find a good escape route, but nothing came to her other than flinging herself out of the nearest airlock.  Knowing Hiead, he would probably follow her there, as well.

            " What do you think, Allecto?" Hiead said, sneering snidely.  He shoved her onto his bed, and a loud crack signified she had hit her head on the wall behind it.

            " N-N-No!" Ikhny whispered, but he jerked her upright and grasped her wrists.  The fact that she was at Hiead's complete mercy, the fact that he had none, and the knowledge that she was very likely about to be raped and beaten was not comforting to her state of mind- not at all.  A part of her she didn't know she had began to fight back, kicking him and clawing at him with her short nails.

            But her puny efforts were laughable.  Hiead easily restrained her, using his weight to crush her as he fumbled with the sheets, ripping them up into two long strips.  " Yes, Allecto," he said, and his tone could only be described as gleeful.  His face had taken on the intent look it did in battle, and his eyes danced with the triumph that came when he destroyed an enemy. 

            " Oh God, no!" Ikhny wailed, fighting him tooth and nail.  It couldn't be happening to her!  Hiead would never do that!  No matter how evil he was, he had never been physically attracted to her, and so she saw no reason for this sudden display of ardor.  Her mind tried to comfort her by telling her he was only putting on a show to scare her, but she knew better.  Hiead never did anything halfway.  Once he started something, he would finish it.

            " I never knew you thought of me as a god, Allecto," he said, then grabbed one of the long strips and yanked her arm over her head.  He wrapped it tightly with the strip of cloth, so tight it seemed to cut into her skin, and proceeded to tie her down.

            There was nothing else for it.  Ikhny screamed, and screamed, and screamed again.  " Someone h-help me!  P-Please!  Help-" 

            She was cut off as Hiead gagged her, making sure to snare her hair in the process.  He leaned down and said in a low, deadly tone, " If you want to survive this, Allecto, I suggest you shut up."

            Tears streamed with wanton abandon down Ikhny's face.  Her nose began running, and her eyes soon turned red.  " Please, no," she cried, but Hiead heard only muffled sounds through the gag.  She writhed on the bed, but there was no hope of being freed.  Hiead had tied her securely.  One would need a knife to slice through her bindings.

            " You see, Allecto, you disobeyed me," Hiead explained, absently twirling a knife in his hands.  The blade wasn't short, but it wasn't long.  It looked thick, though, and sharp, especially as he ran his thumb along it and licked the blood that trickled from his finger.  Ikhny shuddered and tried not to think of what else he would do with that knife.  " A slave can never disobey her master, and so you must be taught a lesson.

            He approached the bed and was beside her side in an instant, pressing the wicked blade to her throat.  He pressed deeper, and Ikhny felt the knife cut her skin and draw blood.  His handsome face loomed above her, eyes burning with a fire and features corrupted by a perverse evil.

            Ikhny closed her eyes to the sight and turned her head.  _This can't be real...  It has to be a nightmare!_

But she was going to find out just how real Hiead was, and just how real the pain he inflicted felt.

~*End of Ikhny's Flashback*~

      " N-No!" 

            A scream rent the air of the hospital ward, scaring Yukine so badly she dropped the glass of water she held.  The glass shattered into millions of tiny glass shards, being spread all over the floor as they were pulled by the water seeping into a puddle at the nurse's feet.  The young woman shook her head and gazed sadly at the figure on the bed in the corner of the room, then left to fetch a broom, rag, and a fresh glass of water.

            Meanwhile, the girl on the bed was still dreaming of her previous encounter with Hiead.  She thrashed wildly, tangling the sheets so that they twisted around her.  The restriction of movement aggravated her further;  she moaned in frustration and struggled to free herself, all the while mumbling things like, " N-No... Please... N-No..."

            Her next scream jolted her out of her reverie and she sat up straight, panting and gripping the sheets so hard her knuckles turned white.  She tried to reassure herself it was just a dream, just a horrible, twisted nightmare, borne out of her last fight with Hiead, but something else was nagging at her.  It felt like it was more than that.  Like... a memory.

            She shook her head to clear it, but then pain swelled and gripped her entire body in its clutches, so she lay back down.  Finally, when the pain had receded to a dull ache, she cautiously opened one eye and peered around the room.  This was not her bedroom.  The walls were white, the sheets were white, and, looking down, she discovered that even her own nightgown was white.  The only different colors in the room were the little monitors around her bed, one with rising and falling red lines, the other with green little statistics flashing across the screen.  The motions made her feel sick to her stomach, so she closed her eyes again and tried to sleep.  Something told her that if she started to remember, she would regret it.

            But try as she might, she couldn't fall back asleep.  Every time she came close to the shores of dreamland, a pair of garnet eyes seeping blood came to her mind and made her quake in fear and revulsion.  Eventually, growing restless, she braved opening both eyes and raising her head.  This time, she felt only a slight stab of pain in her head, one that was easily ignored.  Vaguely, she wondered if the tubes now feeding a bluish liquid into her veins had anything to do with it.  But the question still remained: Where was she?

            Just then, Doctor Rill came in, her stride swift and business like.  She fiddled with some objects on a tray, then, noticing Ikhny, came over and said, " Ah.  You're awake."

            Ikhny nodded and forced a weak smile onto her face.  It was hard, because she kept on getting the feeling her right cheek was larger than the left one.  A few minutes went by before she spoke, and when she did, her voice was strange and alien to her ears, as if it hadn't been used in awhile.  It was dry and cracked, and also significantly lower than usual.  " D-Doctor?  Where a-am I?  How d-did I get here?"

            Dr. Rill walked over to Ikhny's bedside, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.  " Can you remember anything?" she asked.  " Anything at all?"

            Ikhny squinted in concentration.  She didn't want to remember, but she knew she had to eventually.  It would be better to face her demons now, rather than later.  But the hazy cloud in her mind refused to lift enough for her to remember her own age.  " I... passed out?" she guessed, concluding that it was only sensible.

            Dr. Rill nodded heavily and squeezed Ikhny's shoulder.  " Anything else?" she asked, although she knew the answer.  Ikhny shook her head and Dr. Rill sighed, mumbling under her breath, " I should have known you wouldn't be able to answer so soon after..."

            But she was wrong.  Reality had decided to come rushing back at Ikhny in just that second.  The memories came flooding back, and her face drained of the little color it had, turning her as white as the room itself.  Her eyes went abnormally wide as a menacing voice whispered into her ear, " If you ever tell anyone, _anyone, _Allecto, I'll make sure you die very slowly and painfully.  And that's not a threat.  It's a promise."  Her arm spread goose bumps as she felt the lightest touch crawl upon it.  

            " Ikhny," Dr. Rill said slowly, removing her hand from Ikhny's shoulder.  Ikhny missed the contact;  somehow, with a reassuring hand on her shoulder, she had felt safer and more secure.  " I know it seems a bit early to tell you this, but I think it's better for patients to understand what's going on around them."

            Ikhny rested back against the pillows.  She knew what was going on.  She was recovering in the hospital ward, and Hiead...  " Oh Zion," Ikhny mumbled, then darted a look at Dr. Rill to see if she had heard her whispered proclamation.

            She hadn't.  Dr. Rill sighed once again, then said, " Repairer Kizna Tolleyk found you in your room.  She's been waiting to see you."

            Ikhny bit back the colorful curse that rose to her lips.  True, she didn't normally swear, but the circumstances allowed it in this case.  Kizna was probably livid with fury and worry.  Ikhny prepared herself for the upcoming fight she was sure was going to happen when Kizna visited.

            " But first, are you feeling up to some questions?" Dr. Rill asked.  Ikhny was tempted to lie, to say she was tired and wanted to rest, but she assented and soon Dr. Rill was making her repeat the entire incident.  Ikhny's feelings of unease increased with each question.  What was going to happen to her?  And, more importantly, what was Hiead going to do to her?

            She couldn't take it.  She had to find out what had happened to Hiead.  " W-Where is Hiead?" she blurted, still tightly clenching the sheets, using them for moral support.

            Dr. Rill visibly stiffened.  Her back straightened, and her face became tighter.  Her eyes hardened.  " That's what the questions are about," she informed Ikhny, looking slightly uncomfortable.  " Can you remember anything that happened... with Hiead?"

            " H-Hiead?" Ikhny whispered, searching her mind for something to say.  She looked into Dr. Rill's eyes, trying to find a sign of what was the right thing to say, but there were none.  What should she do?  She tried to open her mouth again, to speak, to tell the truth, but nothing came out.  " Oh, Goddesses help me," she prayed, twisting her hands together.  But her reverent prayer was not to be answered.

            " Hiead Gner raped you," Dr. Rill said quietly, eyes shining with compassion for the meek girl.

            Ikhny's eyes widened and a small gasp escaped from her throat.  To be sure, the news wasn't new to her, but to hear the words spoken, confirming it...  It was too much.  She didn't want to think about the consequences of those words, not then.  She just wasn't ready to face it all.  " R-R-R-Rape?"  She could hardly say the word.  It was amazing how such a simple, four letter word could hold so much meaning.

            Dr. Rill reached out a hand to gently squeeze Ikhny's, but this time, the gesture's meaning was lost on her.  Ikhny's mind was whirling in a thousand different directions.  They knew Hiead raped her?  So what had happened to him?  Was she safe from him?  The last thought was enough to make her chuckle inwardly.  Her, safe from Hiead?  Never.

            " Yes.  We know it was him.  We already ran the tests.  He's being convicted as we speak," Dr. Rill told her.  If she was expecting the news to comfort the girl, she was wrong.  Ikhny knew Hiead would be enraged if he ever knew she ever admitted to being his victim.  It was a loose-loose situation.  On one hand, she could tell everyone Hiead raped her, wait until he got out of prison or an asylum and be killed;  on the other, she could defend him, live another day, and pray to be delivered, but more likely or not end up being killed.

            The irony of the situation was almost hilarious to Ikhny.  She laughed out loud, but her laugh was hollow and humorless.  " When did Kizna find me?" she asked Dr. Rill, her voice steady and firm.  Apparently, the drugs didn't only dull the physical pain, but the emotional hurt as well.  In fact, one could say Ikhny was almost giddy.

            Her attempt to change the subject succeeded.  Dr. Rill seemed to understand and replied, " About three days ago.  You were in critical condition until yesterday night."

            Unwilling to break the age old tradition of entering when being talked about, Kizna stepped into the room.  Ikhny instantly sobered up.  She tightly shut her eyes, willing herself to wake up from the never-ending nightmare, but she didn't.  When she looked in the doorway, Kizna was still there, looking nervous but relieved.  Dr. Rill assured her it was fine to come in and bade Ikhny goodbye.  Kizna waited some more until she was sure the doctor was gone, then, indecision forgotten, ran straight into the room and engulfed Ikhny in a bone crushing hug.

            " Ikhny!" she cried, hugging her tightly, as if afraid to let go.

            _Zion help me…_

            Ikhny patted Kizna lightly on the back, wincing in pain.  Kizna got the message and released her, but seated herself on the edge of the bed.  Smiling sadly, Ikhny said, " Kizna."

            The braveness the medicine had temporarily given her was fleeting.  She felt like a mouse again, a cornered mouse with no where to hide.  Luckily, Kizna was too caught up in the knowledge Ikhny was safe and sound to care.  " I was so worried," she was saying, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.  " When I found you, I thought you were... that you were... dead."  She hiccupped softly.

            " I'm o-okay now, Kizna," Ikhny said, but the words sounded false, even to her own ears.  She knew she wasn't okay, and she knew she might never be again.

            Kizna smiled and wiped away her tears, chuckling softly.  " I know...  I'm being silly, aren't I?" Kizna said, reaching out to touch Ikhny's hand and bumping the IV tube in the process.  " I guess...  I'm just so glad you're doing better now," she finished, sincerity strong in her words.

            It was enough to make Ikhny shed a few tears herself.  " Don't w-worry about m-me, Kizna," she told her, but wished she could take back her words the next second.

            Just as she had predicted, Kizna went off like a time bomb.  The tears and smiles before had just been the calm before the storm.  Ikhny's words had been like hitting the detonator switch, and, just like a bomb, Kizna could not be stopped.  " Of course I'm going to worry about you!  Do you have any idea what you looked like?  What you still look like?" Kizna exploded, pacing around the room.  " That goddamned son of a bitch!  I'm going to kill him for what he did to you, Ikhny!  If I have to drag that bastard straight down to hell myself, you bet I will!  That- _thing_!  How _could _he do this?"  Kizna rounded furiously on Ikhny.  " And how could you let him?"

            Ikhny sighed and flinched at Kizna's repeated curses.  Not that Hiead didn't deserve everything she said, but still, Kizna wasn't making it any easier on her.  What she needed right now was support, not demoralization.  But what hurt worst of all was her friend thinking she had let Hiead rape her.  It wasn't like she hadn't fought him;  she'd struggled against him more than she had ever fought before.  But Ikhny knew she couldn't tell Kizna that, she couldn't tell _anyone _that.

            So she lied.  It was perhaps the most idiotic, stupid thing she had ever done, but it saved her life, although her friendship with Kizna was ruined for what seemed like forever because of it.  " K-Kizna... H-Hiead d-didn't r-r-rape me."  

            There.  The words were out, and they could never be taken back.  Kizna's eyebrows raised so high that they practically disappeared into her hair.  " Oh?" she asked, her voice almost pleasant.  She started off calmly, but as she went on, her tone became more angry.  " And just what do you consider rape, Ikhny?  Because I call it exactly what he did to you, even if you're too scared to admit it!"

            Her words were like a slap in the face, and, her decision resolved, Ikhny steadily met Kizna's eyes.  " It wasn't like that," she protested quietly, although her voice held undercurrents of strain and anxiousness.

            Kizna only grew more tense at Ikhny's words.  " What do you mean?  Look at you!  Look at what he's done!" she shrieked.

            And so Ikhny did look down at herself, at her hands, pale and shaken and covered with small abrasions.  She looked at her arms, bruises turned to dull browns but still a few shades of purple.  She lifted a hand to her face and felt the swelling.  It was too much.  She covered her sunken face in her hands and sobbed, tears dropping onto her bed sheets and hands.

            Kizna was instantly remorseful.  She enveloped Ikhny into a warm embrace, apologizing profusely.  " I'm sorry, Ikhny," she said, swallowing the lump in her throat.  " I shouldn't have gotten so mad."

            Ikhny drew herself away from Kizna, not sure why she was doing what she was about to do.  Not sure of anything.  It wasn't sane or logical or even believable, but she had to do it.  It wasn't an option.  Hiead would kill them all for revenge if she didn't, and then she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she knew she was the cause of so many deaths.

            " Ikhny?" Kizna asked curiously, puzzled.  She looked closely at her friend.

            When Ikhny raised her head, she looked calm, composed, and accepting of the fate her next words would cause.  " You can't rape the willing," she said, making sure to keep her voice void of all emotions.  If she was going to lie, she had better be damn convincing.

            Kizna's mouth dropped open.  She seemed incapable of speech until she made a few startled noises.  Then she left, without looking back once.  Ikhny supposed she would never be forgiven.

            She was too tired to think of anything.  She dropped back down onto the pillows, the sleep that had previously eluded her calling to her once again.  Her last thought was of Hiead and his so called " lesson."

            _I learned my lesson...  I learned my lesson well... _


	6. Triumph

In the Dark

By Lalita

Disclaimer~ Do I look like I own Megami Kouhosei?  No.  Do I actually own Megami Kouhosei?  No.  So don't try to sue me.

Summary~ Ikhny is tormented endlessly by Hiead, until…  *evil laugh*  Read to find out!

Author Notes~ * cheers*  Here we have the re-edited chapter six.  This means I am exactly where I left off before I started re-editing this, so I'm glad it's finally up to date!  Might I also remind people, this is my… *ahem* only second attempt at anything remotely like a lemon… *blush*  So, please bear with me!  *blush*  I must be insane, to have written such a scene…  *ahem*   Amazingly enough, this chapter, the one I had the hardest time re-writing, turned out to be the longest…  How odd.  ^^

Anyways, I would have posted this sooner, but my internet server hasn't been working, due to a stupid virus.  So, I apologize for taking so long.  Thanks to all my reviewers!  I would name all of you, but I haven't been online for awhile now, so it will have to wait for the next chapter!  *sniffle*  I hope you… well, think this chapter was relatively well-written…  I don't think anyone could get enjoyment out of reading it, as it's not very… pleasant…  *cough*  Well, I've wasted too much time!  On with the fic, as well as the REVIEWING!!!  *hint hint*  Suggestions are encouraged, in either a positive or negative fashion, as I am in desperate need of them.  ^^  Here, I'll say it once again: PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!

Chapter Six~ Triumph

            Deep down inside of GOA was a section most of the candidates and repairers were oblivious to- the cells.  These cells had housed many disobedient, dangerous, or disturbed people who inhabited GIS or GOA in the past, and now they were home to the perhaps the most threatening person of all: Hiead Gner.

            He lay on a dingy cot in a small, cramped cell, arms crossed behind his head and glaring at the ceiling.  His face showed no sign of the coldness he was feeling, although his arms did.  Shadows engulfed every part of him, for there was hardly any light this deep in GOA, with the exception of the pathways between cells.  It didn't matter, for Hiead had been placed in a " secure " cell, meaning there was a single door with a tiny barred window to look through.  

            His lips twitched into what suspiciously looked like a smirk.  It was really quite astonishing, how he was able to find something to laugh about while being stuck inside a cell and most likely being harshly convicted.  Not that any of that mattered to him, because he was certain he would be let go with nothing more than a warning.  

            He wouldn't have been thrown in the secure cell ward, had he not attacked one of the guards who came to get him.  He seriously hoped he had cause the bastard permanent damage.  Of course, judging from the way he had felt a rib or two shatter when he had kicked the guard, he was guessing the man would be out of action for a long time.  It served the idiot right for underestimating him, thinking he could be subdued by mere chains and words.

            It had come as an interesting, almost pleasant surprise that GOA had cells, and Hiead looked forward to putting one to his own, private use.  The possibilities were endless.  He could lock Enna's foolish repairer, or even Allecto in one.

            That was, if he ever saw Allecto again.  Make no mistake, he still believed she didn't have the guts to lock him up permanently.  True, he had been stuck in the cell for a week, being let out only when there was a VICTIM attack.  But there was still the faint possibility she could withdraw as his repairer and run away, like the coward she was.  The thought made his blood boil and were he not caged like some animal, he would have immediately sought her out.  

            The words of his former instructor, Azuma Hijikata, echoed around and around in his head, like permanent ghosts.  " Get used to the cell.  You'll be in one for a long, long time, Gner," the old fool had said while Hiead was thrown in by the security personal and unshackled.    
            Well, he was wrong.  Everyone might know he had raped Allecto, but that didn't mean he was going to get in trouble for it.  She would set him free, he knew she would.  It was just a matter of time...  And his patience was running short.

            Hiead drifted off to sleep, comforted by all the ideas forming in his mind to get revenge on his repairer for not getting him out sooner.  The bitch was probably enjoying her time away from him, and had most likely dallied in declaring his innocence.  Well, he would make sure she learned the fine points of speed and haste.  No sooner had he fallen asleep, though, two calloused hands shook him and a rough voice commanded, " Wake up, Gner!"

            Hiead awoke to the grisly sight of a man whose face held several pits, as if adolescence had not been kind to him.  The man also had foul, reeking breath and if Hiead was not mistaken, yellow teeth.  The guard's face was pinched with absolute disgust.  Hiead shook the man off of him and glared petulantly, then snarled under his breath, " Moron."

            The guard apparently heard him.  His gloved hands twitched, as if they yearned to slap him.  But he thought better of it and restrained himself- luckily.  If he hadn't, Hiead would have made sure the man would never be able to use his hands again.  The guard hefted him to his feet, opened the door, and shoved Hiead out.  He crashed headlong into the oncoming Azuma.

            Azuma grunted in pain, and Hiead straightened immediately.  He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, vastly amused when Azuma said, " Come on, pilot."

            " What?  I'm leaving so soon?  This place was starting to grow on me," Hiead replied sarcastically.  

            " Unfortunately."  Azuma looked at him, wearing the same look of revulsion and anger as the guard.  He snapped his fingers and started off down the dim hallway, like he was expecting Hiead to follow, like a dog.  

            Hiead's jaw clenched.  He was no obedient puppy.  He continued to lean against the wall, letting a bored expression play across his face.  The instructor wanted him to leave, that was fine by him.  But the damned idiot would have to make him.

            " Let's move it!" Azuma snapped, when he finally realized Hiead wasn't following him.

            Hiead didn't budge.  " Say please," he said, his tone expressionless.  

            Azuma's right eyebrow began to twitch rapidly in irritation.  " Cut the crap, Gner," he snarled, marching back to come up face to face with Hiead.  Hiead barely kept from flinching as the hot, acrid, cigarette scented breath of the man curled around him as effectively as smoke.  " You listen to me.  This is the only chance you're gonna get to haul your ass out of here.  You don't take it, you're stuck here for the rest of your miserable life," he taunted.  " So what's it gonna be?" 

            Hiead growled in frustration and shoved Azuma away from him.  He stalked off down the hallway, leaving the old instructor to trail after him, this time.  Azuma fell into step beside him, and after a minute or so of heavy silence, he spoke again.  " Look, Gner."

            Hiead studiously ignored him.  The bored mask on his face was still in place, and he shrugged, as if nothing Azuma said could interest.  His mouth twitched as if wanted to smirk when he got a reaction, which was exactly what he had been hoping for.

            Azuma appeared to be restraining himself with difficulties.  His teeth were bared and his fists were clenched so tightly Hiead could see the veins working beneath his skin.  " If you think for one minute that anyone believes your story about what you did to that poor girl," he spat, " then you've got another thing coming."

            Hiead shrugged again.  " She confirmed it, didn't she?" he said casually, as if he were discussing the various ways to properly change the fuel cells on a Pro-Ing.  " So you're calling both of us liars?"

            " Anyone with half a brain knows she was beaten up too bad to have had it willingly," Azuma announced, frowning with intense dislike at Hiead.   He never liked the boy, not even when he was a candidate.  Hiead always had outstanding marks in battles, and had proved himself to be both ruthless and efficient.  But there was always something about the cold, demon eyed kid that had spooked him.

            " It's not my fault she likes it rough," Hiead replied, and didn't bother to hide the sneer that formed on his face.  Let the damn instructor believe what he wished, but either way, Hiead still got off, and nothing the fool said could change it.

            " You'd better get that look off your face before I slap it off," Azuma threatened, and Hiead couldn't help but smirk again.  The man really was idiotic, if he thought he could take Hiead in a fight.  

            But, eventually, he decided getting into a fight with a higher authority wouldn't do him well at that point.  He replaced the smirk with a chilling death glare and fixed it on Azuma.  " Better?" he asked, his tone growing as cold and frigid as ice.

.           Azuma didn't deem himself worthy to reply, and soon, he wasn't able to.  They had emerged into the chatter filled upper hallways of GOA.  They were engulfed by the crowds of repairers and candidates hurrying from their lunch to their lessons.  Hiead received several curious and wary stares, and all around him, people edged away to give him more than enough room to pass.  Hiead smirked.  The timid cowards were running like frightened little mice.

            Azuma caught onto his amusement and the muscle in his jaw flexed again.  After they had reached a side corridor, away from the prying ears and eyes of the students, he broke the ice by saying, " Even so, sexual relationships between a pilot and his repairer are strictly prohibited by the rules.  You're lucky you're not being thrown out just for that."

            Hiead withheld a laugh.  Those restrictions applied mostly to candidates and repairers, but once one stepped up into the ranks of the pilots, the rules were pretty much dropped.  Azuma had to be desperate to throw him out if he was fishing up that stupid rule.  " Then why aren't you throwing me out? Am I too good?" Hiead asked, although he knew the answer.

            " No one's too good," Azuma boasted, but Hiead knew he was lying.  The weaklings needed him too much to throw him out.  In a couple more seconds, they reached the private transporters to GIS.  Hardly anyone was around, with the exception of a few, wandering students who had the day off or had been locked out of class because they were too late.  

            " If I had it my way, I'd be sending you out to space, instead of GIS," Azuma informed him, pushing him inside.

            Hiead stumbled but did not fall.  " The feeling's mutual," he thought, but out loud he said, " Where's my repairer?"  He tried to adopt and innocent expression, as if he had no ulterior motive for wanting to know.

            Azuma's face hardened.  " She's already up there.  Dr. Rill was sent up to treat her.  They felt she was too fragile to transport."  He reached for the door, but before he closed it, warned " Don't touch her, Gner."

            Before he could slam the door shut in his face, Hiead said coyly, " She's my repairer.  I'll do whatever I want with her."

            " I'm warning you..."  The door was closed, the sleeping gas activated, and Hiead felt a rushing sensation to his head.  In the next few seconds his ears popped and he felt like his stomach was being pulled out through his ears.  He suspected Azuma had decided to transport him this way, instead of taking a shuttle, for the simple unpleasantness of it.  Slowly, he slid off to unconsciousness and did not awaken until he reached GIS.  

            The minute he stepped out of the transporter and emerged into the main room, the hard stares were set upon him.  Disapproving, angry, and scared stares were cast on him by every pair of eyes in the room.  

            But none of their glares could match the ferocity of the hateful look sent by Enna's repairer.  He could feel her presence almost instantly, her glare boring into the back of his head.  One by one, all the others filtered out of the room, but she remained.  She strode confidently in front of him, leaned up on her tip-toes, and smacked him with all the strength she could muster.

            Hiead staggered backwards.  He had not been expecting such an attack so early on.  Usually, the willful brat wasted time on yelling and screaming at him, as if trying to make him go deaf. 

            His eyes narrowed and locked with hers in a silent battle of wills.  His red eyes burned with the fire of his malice, and her purple eyes had darkened to almost black with the force of her hatred.  Why she, or anyone else, for that matter, would care so much for Allecto was beyond him.

            " You bastard," she hissed, shoving him.  He didn't move an inch.  Aggravated, she swung a gloved fist at him, and Hiead did not attempt to dodge it.  It hit him squarely in the nose, and he tasted the sweet blood on his lips, trickling from his nose.

            Tolleyk, it appeared, was not done with him yet.  " How could you?" she demanded, taking another swing at him.  Hiead stepped out of its way and let her fist penetrate the air.

            Frustrated, she went in again, and likewise, Hiead dodged.  Instead of letting her get off so easily, however, he caught her fist and dragged her close to him.  Swiftly, he lifted his leg and kneed her in the stomach.  She gasped and panted and sagged in his arms, temporarily out of breath.  Some of the blood from his nose had begun to drip onto her hair, staining the top crimson.  " Careful, Tolleyk," Hiead murmured, his breath hot on her neck and the sudden thought of Enna's face if he were to see such a scene spurring him on, " or do you want to end up like Allecto?"

            He abruptly released her, a strong desire to see Allecto herself filling him.  He wanted to see how much he had broken her, destroyed her.  The idea of doing the same to Tolleyk was appealing, to say in the least, and would probably be much more challenging, but right then was not the time for it.  Later, he would make her pay for insolence and more...     

            Speaking of Tolleyk, she had managed to scramble as far away from Hiead as she could get.  She sat against the wall, eyes watering but still glinting with her anger.  " I hate you," she said, her hands shaking and voice hoarse.

            " Good."  Hiead walked away, laughing to himself.  He heard her muffled cries and curses, proving to him that she was just as weak as the rest of them.

            On his way back to his room, he made sure to pass by the small infirmary that served to nurse Allecto.  There were two large, wide glass windows located on either ends of the door in, and Hiead stopped to look through one.  He quickly scanned the room for his repairer.

            _There she is..._

He found her almost immediately, as she was in the largest bed by the right side of the wall, and assessed how much damage he had done to her.  She looked so small and frail in the giant of a hospital bed, her ghostly, slightly waxy complexion almost blending in with the surrounding white.  The large, purplish bruises and red, angry cuts distinguish her from the rest of the room, and Hiead took a moment to recall how he had put each and every one there.  Her hand hung off of the side of the bed, covered with the marks he had inflicted.  

            Her hair lay limp and tangled around her face, as if she had recently been thrashing around in her sleep, like she had been plagued by nightmares.  Nightmares that _he _had created.  On her wrists, he saw welts that strongly resembled rope burns.  They had probably formed when he had tied her to the bed.  Of course, the original intention had been to cut off her circulation so that she could never use her hands, and so that he could get a new repairer, but now he was glad that hadn't happened.  

            He was filled with a demented surge of satisfaction and pleasure from seeing her lying on the bed, a beaten, shattered girl.  He had no wish to be rid of her, not then, not ever.  She was his.  He had done that to her, and he would do it again, if he pleased.  __

_            She's all mine..._

As if she could feel his eyes resting on her, she opened her own bloodshot ones.  Irresistibly drawn, like a moth to the flame, her eyes, dulled by her medication, traveled to the window where he stood.  At first, the sight of him did not affect her;  she was sleepy and most likely drugged up too much to care.  But as startled recognition filled her clouded mind, her eyes widened in shock.

            Fear...  He could feel the tension in the air, so thick he could practically smell it.  Allecto's chest rose and fell faster and faster, and the hand that had hung uselessly off the side of her bed reached up to clutch her throat.  Her body heaved as the depth of her breaths increased, and the motions sent the monitors at her bedside leaping to life.

            Her mouth opened in a silent scream, then closed, then opened again.  And this time, the real scream erupted, drowning out the rapid beeping of the monitors.  The lines on her heart rate leapt out of control, spiraling into huge crested mountains and falling into deep valleys.  Her scream seemed endless;  how such a small creature could emit a sound like that was beyond Hiead.

            Her screams were different from the ones in his room, before, when he had toyed with her so mercilessly.  Then, they had been like high pitched wails, but now, they were low and cracked with the obvious signs of unuse.  

            Just as quickly as her screams had begun, they quieted.  Allecto quivered in fear, and the tremors wracking her body made the sobs before seem mild.  Vaguely, Hiead realized that her fear of him had increased dramatically.  In fact, he'd go so far to say it had changed into a paralyzing fright that gnawed away at the edges of her sanity.

            Seconds later, nurses ran up towards Allecto's bedside, frantic with worry.  And, just as silently as he had come, Hiead left them to stabilize her, oddly put at peace after seeing his repairer.  She was still scared of him, and he felt gratified that her fear and obedience was constant.  It was something he could count on...  Something that was always there, and just seeing her, knowing she was still alive and terrified out of her mind by him, comforted him in a strange sort of way.

            Before he knew it, he had reached his room.  He entered soundlessly and the door slid shut behind him, automatically locking- a new feature he had made sure Allecto installed for him.  He was grateful for this convenience, as he didn't care much for intruders at the moment.  He would deal with the petty weaklings later, but what he did want to do just then was revel in his triumph.  He had finally done it.  He had finally, completely broken down Allecto, and the end result was better than he could have hoped for.

            " Triumph over what... a weakling?" a nasty, taunting voice in the back of his head mocked.  " Where's the pride in that?"

            Hiead glanced over to the mirror on the opposite wall.  It was plain and square, and just seeing the reflection in it goaded him beyond belief.  The voices continued to plague him, making fun of him, degrading him.  Hiead snarled and punched the mirror, as if destroying this object would chase away the voices.  The sharp bits of glass bit his skin, and droplets of blood steadily fell to the floor from various points on his right hand.

            It wasn't enough.  Hiead growled, knowing that only the screams and wails of a victim would satiate his lust for pain.  These whims had been denied to him for too long...  As a candidate, had anyone known of his activities, he would have promptly kicked out.  Thus, he had been reduced to biting back his anger and churning it into the bile that made him so fierce.  But since arising to the position of a pilot, he had been able to enjoy his power and abuse it often, as he was wont to do.  And now, his repairer, who was supposed to assist him, was lingering in the hospital ward, and it was driving him insane.

            _You need weaklings like her to give you power, don't you..._

He let out a muffled yell of frustration and crashed into his bathroom, effectively breaking the only other mirror in his position.

            _Don't__ try to lie to me...  You do need them...  You need her..._

Hiead clutched his head in his hands, his blood gleaming dully in his otherwise shining mass of silver hair.  The only light came from his room, and in a gesture of sheer rage, he broke it with his EX.  His hair floated softly, dancing around his face.  It had changed into the trademark color of an EX reaction, aquamarine, in an instant.  

            The stars twinkled merrily outside his window, giving just enough light to cast shadows on his face as he looked into the shattered remnant of his mirror.  Bitterly, Hiead wished he had the power to destroy them all, damned nuisances.      

            But even he had not the power to destroy a mass of gas millions of miles out of his reach- at least, not without being in is Goddess.  So, in hopes of calming himself down and tampering his temper, he remembered...

~*Hiead's Flashback*~

            Allecto was crying, which was not unusual for her.  Her eyes were rimmed by red, a stark contrast to her chocolate orbs.  Even her nose, small, pert, and dotted by numerous freckles Hiead had not known she possessed, was red and puffy.  In the space of barely half an hour, she had transformed into a quivering, sniveling baby.  She looked worse than ever before, and Hiead told her so.  

            She was completely dismayed, he knew, but that fact did not stop her from her pitiful attempts to fend him off.  Her efforts were in vain and did not slow down Hiead in the slightest.  Rather, it excited him further.  Vaguely, he wondered why he hadn't thought of doing this to Allecto sooner.  

            She cried out and sent a swift kick to his groin, but he moved, and she missed, hitting his stomach instead.  He grunted, then drew back a hand and slapped her across the face, leaving a stinging, purpling mark.  She was useless...  All of her was useless.  " Give up, Allecto," Hiead hissed, raising his hand as if to slap her again.  " You can't win, and you know it."

            He chuckled evilly.  Allecto continued to fight him tooth and nail, but somehow, her fighting seemed more subdued.  Good.  That meant the idiot was admitting defeat.  

            He discarded her jacket and tossed it across the room, then ripped her shirt straight down the middle, peeling it away.  Her flesh, milky white and dotted with freckles here and there, jumped out to greet him.  Allecto's sharp intake of breath and strangled plea failed to reach his ears as he gazed upon her, hunger apparent in his eyes.  Her ribs showed plainly on her stomach, it was so sunken in.  She wore a simple white bra, with no lace or any of the other adornments the other girls so liked.

            On a sudden impulse, Hiead traced his long fingers up and down her side, sending goose bumps along the trail he created.  Her arms, he noticed, were covered by faded yellow bruises.  But the rest of her skin looked as if it had never been touched...  He would make sure he was first, and the only.

            He leaned down and bit her ear, none too gently.  She let out a yelp of surprise and twisted away from him.  Hiead smirked, amused by the game of cat and mouse.  He flipped her over onto her side and slid a finger behind her bra strap, then reached back as far as the elastic band would allow and released.  Allecto made a sound of protest deep in her throat, but before she could react in any other way, Hiead had done it again, and again, and again.  He was fascinated by the red patterns it sent across her skin, and continued to do so until her back had turned raw.

            Allecto had silent tears streaming down her face.  She had stopped moving long ago, and Hiead was irritated.  He wanted reactions.  He relieved her of her bra, breaking the straps and hastily throwing it out of the way.  Then, he pressed down on the slightly bruised area on her back.  She grimaced, and, even more annoyed, he drew back and slapped his whole hand down on it as hard as he could.  Allecto bit her lip, keeping in the scream, but biting so hard that her dry, crackled lips bled.

            He removed the belt from her jeans, caressing the slick leather.  She remained quiet, but turned her head to him and conveyed a message through her eyes.  _Please, Hiead...  Don't do this..._

Angry with himself and her, he tore down her pants and lashed out with the belt on one firm, rounded butt cheek.  That, she had not been expecting, and so she yelped and tried to move out of his way.  Hiead grew more frustrated.  It wasn't enough.  He wanted to hear her screams, hear her beg for mercy...

            He hit her with the strap in rapid succession, and her eyes widened with the sudden pain of it.  She writhed in her pain, wallowed in it, and the pleas finally erupted from her lips.  " Please, sir!  P-Please!  D-Don't d-do this!  I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm s-so sorry!"

            Hiead laughed cruelly.  " Sorry isn't good enough, Allecto," he informed her, before striking the belt one last, final time on her arse.  It was no longer pale and white, but covered with bruises and scratch marks.

            " I want you to beg, slave," Hiead hissed, then let the belt slide from his hands and drop to the floor.  " Remember, I am your master, and I can do whatever I want with you."  He quickly stripped her of her panties, shoes, and socks, leaving her completely naked and exposed, then went on to relieving himself of his own clothes, as his shorts and boxers were becoming... constrictive.

            Allecto tightly shut her eyes, as if she was trying to block out the sight of him.  Hiead snickered, but allowed her such frivolities at that moment, simply because she would see and feel more of him later...  " No... No... N-No!" she whispered, shaking her head wildly.  Hiead laughed and released her from her bindings.  Panic, close to hysteria, took hold of her and she immediately sprang from the bed.  Not bothering to reach for her clothes, she ran to the door and began pounding on it and screaming, pathetically desperate to escape.  She clawed at the door, probably hating herself for having installed the system where only he could gain entry or exit.  

            Bemused, Hiead watched her, inwardly reflecting his amazement at how feisty Allecto could be.  But eventually, her strength drained completely out of her, and she slumped against the door, holding her head in her hands.  Her voice had long ago gone hoarse.  Her posture slid into that of a little ball, and she huddled at the foot of the door, fearful and defeated.

            Hiead walked slowly towards the door, smirking.  If there was one thing in the world he loved, it would have to be this.  When he stood in front of her, tall and commanding, she refused to look at him or even acknowledge his presence.  He reared back and brought his fist down onto her head.  She fell into a heap spread out across the floor, hands covering her head.  " No," she whimpered, still foolishly denying her fate.

            " Look at me," Hiead commanded, and she did.  She raised her head and glared at him, her nostrils flaring.  But the reproachful glare quickly changed into a terrified, wide eyed look as she took in the sight of him, large and menacing and standing in his naked glory.

            Hiead was thoroughly aroused, and she knew it- even better, she was scared of him.  He supposed she was a virgin, at the way her face had changed from ghostly pale to beet red just by looking at him, and it only filled him with pleasure.  _His_ touch would be the _only_ touch she would ever know.  

            Hiead waved his painfully hard cock in front of Allecto's face, practically giddy from all the fear in the atmosphere.  " What's wrong, Allecto?" he asked her, taking infinite delight in her distinct uneasiness.  She didn't reply;  it appeared she couldn't move at all, like she had been completely frozen by fear.

            " Answer me!" Hiead growled, and slapped her across the face, jerking her out of her temporary paralysis.  She still couldn't form a decent response, so he raked his nails down from her shoulders to her chest, where he gripped her nipples, hard from the chill, and twisted them.  The action drew a sharp cry from Allecto, and Hiead did it again, harder.  He lowered his head and his hair brushed her bare chest before he bit down on one nipple, drawing blood and eliciting a loud scream of pain from her.  

            " You like it, don't you slave?" he murmured, while sucking lightly on the blood flowing from the wound.  Allecto shuddered beneath him.  " Say, ' yes, master'," he directed.        

            " Yes, master," Allecto whispered, so softly Hiead had to strain to hear her.  Satisfaction, deep and filling, surged through him.  She was learning fast... for once.

            Hiead realized, with a stab of pain from his fully erect member, that he couldn't wait any more.  He drew her to her feet and slammed her against the door, just as he had slammed her into the wall on their first meeting.  She hung her head, then immediately snapped it back up to avoid looking at him.  Hiead grabbed a fist full of Allecto's hair and jerked her head downwards so that she would have no choice.  With the other hand, he spread her legs as far apart as they would go and buried himself in her in one deep, hard thrust.  

            Her head fell back a bit and she screamed from the pain.  He could feel her walls breaking around him, could feel her tightness clenching around him as he went in deeper and deeper...  In and out, again and again, harder and harder.  His hand slipped from her hair to rest on backside and push her against him, grinding her hips into his.  Free to look away, Allecto did, her face tinged with green.  Her knees buckled and Hiead was forced to support her.

            He continued pounding mercilessly into her, ignoring her soft cries of pain and the blood traveling from her core down her legs, until he released with a shudder and emptied his seed into her.  He felt almost euphoric.  When he came, it was the best he'd ever had.  It left him with such a sheer sense of power, one that he had never felt before.

            It was the power of dominance, and raping Allecto was, perhaps, the most commanding, dominating thing he had ever done...

~*End of Hiead's Flashback*~

            The foggy haze in Hiead's eyes disappeared as loud, repeated poundings on his door entered through his ears, registered in his brain, and brought him back to the present.  Seconds later, Enna's annoying voice floated through the door and screamed, " You fucking bastard!  You better not lay your goddamn hands on my repairer again, you hear me?"

            Hiead mentally made a note to have Allecto make a new installation to his room as soon as she left the hospital ward- a sound proof door.  Fully intent on ignoring Enna's pathetic attempts to lure him out of his lair, he started to close the door to his bathroom, but froze in the act as Enna went on.  " What the fuck's wrong with you?  Why the hell are you hiding behind that damn door?  Are you scared of me?  You coward!"

           It was those two last words that drew him out.  Clenching his teeth and snarling much like a wolf about to make a kill, he thrust open the door to greet Enna's startled, red face.  He fell back, but quickly stood and glared daggers at Hiead.  " Something wrong, Enna?"  Hiead asked, his voice as smooth as oil- and just as slippery.

            " You, asshole," Enna retorted, taking a step forward.  

            Hiead frowned.  He didn't like Enna being in such close proximity to him, and so he shoved him back, making the first aggressive move.  However, Enna remained unresponsive, keeping his own explosive temper in check.  Hiead's eyebrow raised.

            " You're fucked up, Hiead.  We all know what you did to Ikhny," Enna accused, stepping forward once again.

            Hiead narrowed his eyes.  " I didn't do anything to that worthless girl," he denied, his tone still silky and laced with threat, as if he were daring Enna to say more.  " Just ask her."

            " Bullshit," Enna snapped, and shoved Hiead back.  He only moved a few steps, still wearing his snide sneer.

            _What a weakling._

" You scared her so bad she can't even talk about it, and you know it," Enna said, still sending Hiead nasty looks, as if it made any difference.  " She always covers up for you.  You're a sick, twisted bastard."

            " You don't like what I do with my repairer?  Fine then, I'll just take it out on yours," Hiead announced.  He knew full well that his statement would provoke an outburst, and he was not to be disappointed.

            Enna' face darkened considerably, and it was obvious Hiead had struck a nerve- and a sensitive one, at that.  His eyes lost all of their warmth as he said lowly, with just a hint of real danger, " Touch Kizna again, Hiead, and I'll kill you.  I swear on Zion and the Goddesses, I'll kill you."   

            Hiead laughed, his amusement at the situation very real.  " Threatening me, Enna?  You're too weak to kill me."

            This, apparently, was the last straw for Enna's unruly temper.  He raised his fist and lashed out at Hiead, but Hiead, who had been expecting the blow, dodged almost effortlessly.  He took advantage of Enna's short bout of unbalance and tripped him, sending him hard to the floor.  Seconds later, Hiead also dropped to the floor, Enna having placed a swift kick to his shins.  They rolled around on the floor, brawling like immature boys fighting over a toy.  

            But the fight was much, much more serious than that.  Sweat rolled down both of their necks and ran down their foreheads, sometimes clouding their vision, sometimes dropping onto their opponent.  Both were panting and growing exhausted, but neither was willing to give up.  It wasn't just any fight.  More than a few bruises and scrapes were at stake.  Wounded prides, and the knowledge that the stronger would come out as the victor, spurred both.  

            But Hiead's strength was waning significantly more than Enna's, and he knew it.  Days of being in the cold cells of GOA, hardly being fed, and lack of sleep had caught up to him, and the weariness he had known would come hit him full force, momentarily distracting him.  Enna used his moment of weakness to throw him off of him and rise, pulling Hiead up with him.  

            Hiead swayed slightly, but still managed to block Enna's next punch with his good hand.  He swung underneath and landed a punch in Enna's stomach, but he doubted the bastard even felt it.  From the way Enna smirked and landed his own punch in Hiead's stomach, sending him doubling over, he guessed not.  The fight he had been craving was happening, but the outcome was not turning out the way he had thought it would be...

            Enna turned away, leaving Hiead panting and clutching his side.  A fire, deep and consuming, built inside of Hiead, blinding him to anything but the object of his rage.  With a yell of fury, he jumped headfirst and bashed into Enna's shoulder, sending the oblivious boy to the other side of the hallway and into the wall.  As Enna groaned feebly and gingerly rubbed his shoulder, Hiead saw the dented wall behind him and sneered.

            He knew he must look demonic, with his hair rising and eyes flashing.  The air around him seemed to cackle with his sudden burst of energy, and the scene he was creating sparked an EX reaction from Enna, as well.  Mere blurs, they went at each other, using whatever means necessary to bring the other to the ground.  Once, Hiead caught Enna in mid-air and held him in a headlock, but the little fucker bit his already damaged hand and got away.  

            Hiead cursed, eyes moving rapidly in order to keep up with his enemy.  His hand was now throbbing with pain, and he wished he could channel it all into the auburn haired pilot who he hated more than anything.  A split-second later, he was wishing it doubly so;  Enna had landed a surprise swing at his jaw and Hiead heard the loud crack that signified his jaw breaking.  

            Hiead made him pay for it as he got a swift kick to Enna's nose.  Blood immediately spurt from it, and Hiead was sure he had felt a bone shatter.  Enna didn't let his injury distract him, though, and aimed for Hiead's left knee.  Hiead buckled and rolled out of the way as Enna tried to stomp down on his fingers.  Summoning his last bout of energy, he dug his fingers into Enna's injured shoulder and kicked him in his groin.  Enna groaned and fell away, gasping.

            Hiead followed him, barely able to stand, but still not giving up.  Enna groaned again and slumped against the wall, his face gone white.  He looked about to hurl.  Hiead smirked and swayed drunkenly, the loss of blood from his hand, as well as the cut on his head he had gained while his skull connected with Enna's foot, were making him slightly woozy.  But he wouldn't give up...  Never.  He would fight to the death, if needs be. 

            _Nothing can stop me... Nothing can stop me now..._


	7. Guilt, Grief, and Relief

In the Dark

By Lalita

Disclaimer~ *sigh*  I would have thought that by now everyone knows I don't own Megami Kouhosei, but just for the heck of it, I'll say it again: I don't own any part of MK.

Summary~ Ikhny is tormented endlessly by Hiead, until…  *evil laugh*  Read to find out!

Author's Notes~ After finally coming home for X-Mas break, I found myself in a sudden surge of inspiration to write another chapter.  The only problem was, I couldn't find the plan I'd saved on the comp. and thus, I had no idea what was happening next.  But did I let that stop me?  No, hours later, I emerged victorious from rummaging through various boxes with the original plan and now- tada!  The Chapter Seven that's been awaited for so long that it's probably been forgotten has been released!  I apologize for the obscene amount of time passing my updates, and I'd like to thank anyone who still remembers this little author and her little story.  Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter Six so long ago!  I still remember you- though you've likely forgotten me.  Well, here's Chapter Seven- finally.  Let me know what ya think in a review! 

Chapter Seven~ Guilt, Grief, and Relief

            Ikhny was discharged three days later, with strict orders from Dr. Rill to take the pain killing medications three times a day, to rest often, to get extra help in repairing her Goddess for as long as necessary, and to take it easy.  She was also going to be submitted to a weekly routine check up for the next month.

            Ikhny grimaced as she left the hospital ward carrying various bottles of pills.  She had never liked pills, as they nearly made her choke every time she tried to swallow them.  Still, she was glad to be gone from the ward.  It was a nice vacation from work and all, but sitting around all day got very boring and irritating.  It was also nice to be back in her own clothes, not the long, scratchy nightgowns provided by the nurses.

            She sighed a bit sadly and turned the corner, fully prepared to skip lunch and take a nap, despite the way her stomach growled.  She didn't want people to see her...  Didn't want them to question her, talk to her, or even look at her.  She just wanted to be ignored, as if she was invisible, but chances were, that wasn't going to happen.  So, she simply intended to avoid society for as long as she possibly could.

            Ikhny closed her mind to any further thoughts on the subject, as it was a closely related topic to " The Accident."  In other words, what Hiead had done to her.  But the R word was too much for Ikhny to handle, so she had donned it " The Accident," and tucked it away into a small, dusty corner of her mind, the place that stored other unpleasant, best forgotten memories- most of them having something to do with Hiead.

            Trying to cheer herself up, Ikhny hummed a low tune under her breath and struggled to keep her mind blissfully free of anything to do with " The Accident."  But it wasn't so easy as that.  Every spot she passed seem to hold some memory of Hiead, either hitting her, yelling at her, shoving and mocking her...  The only place that was Hiead-less was her own room.  Even Hiead had not ventured that far, and Ikhny was grateful for her one place of respite.

            She had heard things while lying in the hospital ward, so she had no fear of running into Hiead in the hallways.  Ikhny had even been awake when he and Zero had been rushed in, both lying flat on stretchers and severely injured.  Ikhny had gasped once she recognized Zero's mop of unruly hair and covered her mouth with her hands to stifle the noise.  

            But the next sight she saw would have knocked her off her feet, had she been standing.  The other boy was Hiead, except for it couldn't be Hiead... could it?  Hiead was never hurt so badly before, and he was so strong...  It was completely alien to Ikhny, to have seen Hiead being brought down a peg or two.  Dark, purpling bruises covered his face and the lower left side of the sheet covering him was splashed with blood.

            All the color drained out of Ikhny's face and her head swam.  Hiead resembled how she had looked, when she had first been brought to the hospital ward.  Angry, harsh voices from the officials broke into her thoughts.  They were angry with the pilots for wasting their EX and nearly killing each other.  Angry enough to dismiss both of them, had they not been so important to the team.  

            A nurse had noticed she was awake then and quickly came over, smiling placidly and biding Ikhny to sleep.  Ikhny was too confused to care, so she closed her eyes and lay back on the pillows, inwardly in turmoil as vicious thoughts of Hiead assaulted her.

            _Good...  He's finally getting what he deserves, isn't he?  _She shook her head violently and the pillow inched closer to the side of the bed.  " I am not that kind of person," Ikhny had told herself firmly.  And had it been any other time before the accident, Ikhny would have believed herself.  But things had changed.  Things had changed so drastically that Ikhny could only close her eyes and try to take the nurse's advice and rest.

            Yes... That was another reason why she was glad to leave the hospital ward.  Too much time for thought.  At least out in the open, although she would be subjected to stares and points, she would have something to keep her hands busy.  A wise person once said that the only way to stay sane each day was to have work to do.  Ikhny could remember very little from the hospital ward except a few, blurred images, but she could remember looking down at her hands, twisting nervously still, and feeling a pang.  She remembered yearning for something, anything to do to fight back the dark thoughts that always came with consciousness.  

            But there was a reason for everything.  Decisions had been made while lying helplessly on the bed.  Ikhny's face had lost in cheerful plumpness.  Now it was hardened by premature lines, lines formed from hours of sorting through muddled confusion and facing raw truth- truth that she'd denied for so long.

            There really was no reason for her to stay here anymore.  Becoming a repairer had once been a grand dream, but now...  Ikhny shook her head, clearing it.  There really was nothing holding her, nothing keeping her from leaving.  It certainly wasn't any mismatched loyalty to her pilot, and though her friendship with Kizna was the closest thing to love she'd ever known, she also knew that Kizna would understand when, and if, she left.  

            There was just one problem.  Ikhny didn't have anywhere to go.

            She sighed.  In truth, that was what had been bothering her the most during her fitful waking hours of recovery.  She would be running yet again from Hiead, something she'd been doing far too long.  It might be the smartest decision of her life to leave, but at the same time, it would also be the most cowardly.

            Ikhny grimaced.  It seemed like Hiead's damnable pride had started wearing off on her.

            With a jolt, she realized she had just passed the mess hall.  Her feet started moving again, taking her further down the corridor, but Ikhny stopped them with a firm command with her mind.  "Might as well face them now," she thought grimly, and, like a pilot preparing for battle, started ticking off strategies in her mind to ward off unwanted questions and even more unwanted looks.

            The mess hall's door loomed closer and closer, and then it opened, exposing Ikhny to the view of nearly half of GIS's residents.  She swallowed, and, with the same steely determination that brought her there, stepped into the serving line behind a girl with short blonde hair.  The only way to fend off worried remarks would be to act as normal as possible, and as for the other kind of remarks she'd be hearing... well, she wasn't sure quite how to deal with those, but she would when the time came.  All she had to focus on right now was putting one foot in front of the other and controlling her shaking hands so that the tray wouldn't tip.

            The cook, whose duties also included being the server, looked at her strangely before giving her a scoop of what was only identifiable by its name- potatoes.  She walked through the line with her head hung low, not necessarily ashamed, just not wanting to see the pity and the shame other people conveyed when they looked at her.  With still trembling hands, Ikhny grabbed for a cup of what appeared to be oil left out for a couple years but what was actually coffee.  Caffeine could rectify anything, couldn't it?  It always seemed to work so well for Zero...

            Remembering Zero brought her back to her current situation.  Even though it sounded completely immature, just where was she going to sit?  Before, there had always been Kizna and Zero to sit by, but now...  She mentally berated herself.  Really, she was a grown girl, and she didn't need to have someone to sit by every time she wanted to eat.  Ikhny would have grinned at her foolishness had the situation not felt so grave.

            Yes, there was a distinct difference between before and the way things were now.  Ikhny lifted her head ever so slightly to scout out an empty table.  There was one, just a few feet in front of her.  If she walked quickly, she could make it there before anyone offered her a seat.

            She took the seat and heaved a sigh of relief.  Now, if she just poked at her food a bit and pretended to be oblivious to the world, all should go well...

            "Ikhny!"  Cursing mentally, Ikhny looked up to see the familiar plump face of a blue haired, blue eyed girl named Wrecka.  She smiled mildly at her as she took a seat across from Ikhny.  "I'm so glad you're alright!  We were all so worried!  Life's been soooooo different without you!"

            Ikhny closed her eyes.  So many exclamations.  So many words all at once.  She got a sudden urge to run away from Wrecka's endless stream of chatter.

            "You... You look better," Wrecka said, still smiling, but the flicker in her eyes showed she didn't mean what she was saying.  Ikhny had already seen herself in the mirror and had confirmed her suspicions- she looked like a cat dragged through hell and back again.

            "Well, hun, I got to go."  Wrecka's nervous proclamation interrupted Ikhny's thoughts.  She managed another weak smile as Wrecka bounced away, probably eager to report back to the full table of friends she had vacated only minutes before.  Ikhny sighed.  The crisis was temporarily avoided, although she was sure Wrecka would be back for more later.  So long as she was left alone now, she was fine.

            Ikhny continued to pick at her food, occasionally forcing down a bite or two.  She didn't have to leave GIS permanently.  She could retire from her position, of course, even go down to the maintenance staff.  If she tried hard enough, maybe she could even get a position as an instructor for the repairers down on GOA.  The thoughts were comforting, but at the same time filling her with a sense of loss.  If it hadn't been for Hiead, she really would have loved her job as a repairer.  There was just so much pride in fixing something, making something, all on her own and seeing it actually put to use.  Unlike Kizna, who had become a repairer simply because it was the closest thing to a pilot she could be, Ikhny had really, honestly wanted to become a repairer.  There wasn't much she could remember about the colony she lived on years ago, but every time she picked up a tool and started working, she could remember the way her hands had longed to do something useful, something to benefit everybody.

             She felt more than heard the person behind her.  She turned around, knowing already whom she would see.

            Kizna.

            Ikhny swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat and lowered her spoon.  Kizna was sifting from foot to foot, her own nervous habit.  The silence seemed to stretch on forever, the lies told before mixing with the things yet to be said.  "So," Kizna said, not able to look at Ikhny directly.  When Ikhny didn't respond, she said unnecessarily, "You're out."

            "Yeah," Ikhny agreed, trying to force her eyes to look at Kizna.  But looking at Kizna brought back the last things they'd said to each other, during one of the first coherent moments in the hospital ward.  She didn't really remember much, except the fleeting feelings of dread and pressure that even the lie clearing Hiead's name couldn't shake.

            Kizna sighed.  "Avoiding this really isn't going to work, is it," she said ruefully, but the question came out as more of a statement.  

            "No," Ikhny agreed again, wishing she could think of more to say. 

            "Maybe I was a bit harsh when... you know."  Kizna gulped.  "What I mean to say is... Well, I'm sorry."

            "You don't have to be sorry, Kizna," Ikhny surprised herself by spitting out more than three words.  "What you said was true."

            Kizna looked as if she was having difficulty not agreeing with her.  "Still, I just... We're still friends, right?"

            Ikhny smiled.  "I didn't know we ever stopped in the first place." 

            Kizna smiled gratefully.  "I saw Wrecka the vampire here a few minutes ago.  Was she pumping you for information?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject.

            "I wasn't really paying attention," Ikhny confessed.  "I guess it's a handy trick that comes in after years of listening to her."

            Kizna laughed, the sound pleasantly surprising both of them and leading Ikhny to join in.  She reveled in the sound of their joined giggles, feeling lighter than she had since... well, since leaving GOA to become a Goddess Repairer. 

            _Who would've thought I could laugh again?_


End file.
